Carton filling machine



March 9, 1965 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL 35 CARTON FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec.31, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 9, 1965 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL 3,172,435

CARTON FILLING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 31, 1962 March 9,1965 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

CARTON FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 9,1965 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL 3,172,435

CARTON FILLING MACHINE March 1965 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

CARTON FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 UnitedStates Patent 3,172,435 CARTON FILLING MACHINE Ralph F. Anderson, 332Calvin Park Blvd, Rockford, IlL, and Leo Strombeck, Rockford, 111.; saidStromheek assignor to said Anderson Filed Dec. 31, 1962, Ser. No.248,331 16 Claims. (Cl. 141-431) This invention relates to improvementsin apparatus for filling containers and particularly to an apparatus forfilling containers with a semi-fluid plastic material such as ice cream,sherbet and the like.

The present invention is directed to a container filling apparatus ofthe type wherein a semi-fluid plastic material is continuously dispensedthrough a downwardly opening nozzle. Containers to be filled areadvanced to a filling station below the nozzle at a level with the topsof the containers spaced below the nozzle to avoid interference with thematerial emerging from the nozzle. The containers are elevated at thefilling station and moved downwardly as they are filled. When the top ofthe container reaches the lower end of the nozzle, the filled containeris moved crosswise of the nozzle to shear the material in the containerfrom the material in the nozzle. With this arrangement, the filledcontainer, as it is moved away from the filling station, is at a levelabove the level at which the incoming empty containers are advanced tothe filling station.

In such container filling machines, there is a tendency for the upperend of the container to tilt during movement of the container crosswiseof the nozzle, particularly when the plastic material is relativelystiff. This produces an uneven product line in the container with someoverfill in the container toward the trailing edge. when the top closureflaps are subsequently closed, some of this overfill is pressed out andonto the outer sides of the flaps. This has a deleterious effect on theoverall package and, if the container is of the type having heatscalable closure flaps, the presence of product on the heat sealingfaces of the flaps interferes with proper sealing of the container.

An important object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype described for filling containers having an improved arrangement forsupporting the containers at the filling station to avoid tilting of thecontainers as they are moved crosswise of the nozzle to shear thematerial in the container from the material emerging from the nozzle.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for fillingcontainers of the type described having an improved apparatus forsupporting containers at the filling station, and which supportapparatus allows the empty containers to move into position at thefilling station at a lower level with their tops spaced below the lowerend of the nozzle, and which support apparatus will underlie and supportthe filled container when the latter is filled and moves downwardly to aposition in which the top of the container is adjacent the level of thelower end of the nozzle, to guidably support the container duringmovement of the container crosswise of the nozzle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a filling station of thetype described having an improved apparatus for assisting movement ofthe filled container crosswise of the nozzle to aid in shearing thematerial in the container from the material emerging from the nozzle,and to prevent tearing or damage to the container during shearing of thematerial from the nozzle.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a filling apparatusin accordance with the foregoing object and wherein the apparatus whichaids in moving the container crosswise of the nozzle, also functions to3,172,435 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 "ice hold the trailing closure flap onthe container out of engagement with the material emerging from thenozzle.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a filling apparatusof the type described having an improved arrangement for controllingdownward movement of the container during filling, to support thecontainer with a force sufiicient to assure proper filling of thecontainer, and which apparatus automatically allows the elevator to dropto a lower level for receiving an empty container as it is advanced tothe filling station.

These, together with the other objects and advantages of this inventionwill be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understoodby reference to the following detailed description, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a carton erecting, fol-ding,filling and closing machine, embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the machine of FIG. 1 andillustrating the container filling station;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional View through the carton erecting andfolding apparatus taken on the plane 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3a is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane 33 of FIG. 2and illustrating the carton support member in a moved position;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus for supportingthe filled carton at the filling station;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the portion of the machine whichadvances the empty containers to the filling nozzle;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane 65 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the plane 77of FIG. 3 and illustrating the apparatus for controlling movement of thecontainer elevator;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the plane 38 ofFIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are fragmentary vertical sectional views taken on theplane 8--8 of FIG. 7 and illustrating the parts in dififerent movedpositions;

FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 14 are diagrammatic views illustrating diiferentmoved positions of the apparatus; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of one type of carton which can beerected, filled and closed by the machine.

The present invention relates to improvements in folding and fillingmachines of the type shown in the patent to Swan F. Anderson, No.2,612,016. The overall folding and filling machine is illustrated inFIG. 1 and, in general includes a frame structure 10; a transfermechanism 11 for intermittently advancing cartons in stepped fashion; ahopper 12. for storing a stack of flattened cartons; carton opening anderecting mechanism 13 engageable with the cartons as they are moved offthe stack by the transfer mechanism, for opening and squaring thecartons; a lower fiap folder mechanism 15 for enfolding and closing thelower flaps on the cartons as they are advanced by the transfermechanism, a filler nozzle 16; an elevator mechanism 17 for elevatingthe containers at the filler station and around the nozzle; and an upperflap folding mechanism 18 for folding and closing the upper flaps on thecarton. The transfer mechanism operates to intermittently remove aflattened carton from the stack on the hopper l2 and advance it past thecarton erecting apparatus 13 to open and square the carton. The cartonsare thereafter advanced past the lower flap folding mechanism 15 to foldand close the bottom flaps and the partially closed containers are thenadvanced to the filling station below the nozzle 16. In order to avoidinterference with the material emerging from the nozzle, the cartons areadvanced to the filling station at a level with the tops of the cartonsspaced somewhat below the nozzle. The cartoons are then raised at thefilling station by the elevator 17 and moved downwardly as the cartonsfill. When the cartons move down to a position in which the top of thecarton is adjacent the lower end of the nozzle, the cartons are movedcrosswise of the nozzle to shear off material in the container from thematerial emerging from the nozzle, and the cartons are thereafteradvanced past the top flap folding mechanism 18 to close the top of thecarton.

The details of construction of the carton hopper 12, the carton erectingmechanism 13, and the lower and upper flap folding mechanisms 15 and 18form no part of the present invention and may be of any suitableconstruction for performing the above described operations, and may, forexample, be of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patent toAnderson. The particular construction and arrangement .of the lower andupper flap folding mechanisms will, of course, vary with different typesof cartons having different flap shapes and arrangements. Furtherdetailed description of the erecting and flap folding apparatus isdeemed unnecessary.

Referring more specifically to the accompanying drawings, the framestructure 10 includes an enclosed housing 21 adjacent one end of theframe and a pedestal 22 adjacent the other end. The frame structure alsoincludes a generally horizontally extending casing 23 which is mountedon the upper ends of the housing 21 and the post 22 and extendstherebetween. The transfer mechanism includes front and rear sections24: and 25 which are laterally spaced apart to guidably engage andsupport the cartons therebetween. The front and rear sections aresimilarly constructed and each include a generally U-shaped rail 27having top and bottom guide flanges 23 and 29 and a pusher plate 31supported for reciprocation on the top and bottom flanges. The rearsection of the transfer mechanism 25 is conveniently attached to thehorizontally extending casing 23 of the frame structure, and the frontsection 24 is supported on the housing 21 and post 22 by brackets 33 and33a and adjusting screws 34, for lateral adjustment toward and away fromthe rear section. The pusher plate 31 on the front section of thetransfer mechanism has a stripper bar (not shown) which engages the endcarton in the stack carried by the carton hopper 12 and which moves theend carton off the stack and past the carton erecting apparatus 13. Thepusher plates have a plurality of pusher fingers mounted atlongitudinally spaced points therealong and yieldably urged laterally ofthe slide plates into the path of movement of the cartons. As shown inFIGS. and 6, opposed pairs of pusher fingers 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d areprovided for advancing the cartons in step fashion from the erectingmechanism past the filling station below the nozzle 16, and additionalpairs of pusher fingers (not shown) are provided for advancing thefilled cartons from the outlet end of the filling station, past theupper fiap folding apparatus 18 and out of the machine. The pusherplates on the front and rear sections of the transfer mechanism areinterconnected adjacent their outlet end by a yoke 36 (see FIG. 1), andwhich yoke is connected to a slide bar 37 mounted in a guideway 38 inthe casing 23. As shown in FIG. 8, a bell crank 41 is pivotally mountedat 42 on the housing 21, and a link 43 is connected by pins 44 and 45 tothe bell crank and to an car 46 on the slide bar 37 to reciprocate thelatter in response to oscillation of the bell crank. The bell crank isotherwise connected by a pin 47 and link 48 to a pin 4% on a crank arm51 connected to the output shaft 52 of a one revolution clutch 53. Theclutch has an input shaft 54 which is connected through a belt andpulley arrangement 55 and 56 to a drive motor 57. The clutch is normallydisengaged and has an actuator 58, conveniently of the electrical type,which is operative when energized to drivingly connect the input shaft54 to the output shaft 52, to drive the latter through one revolution,and then stop. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the crank 41 and slide 37 arein their initial position, that is the position assumed when the clutch53 is disengaged. When the slide 37 is in its initial position, it isintermediate the ends of its stroke and, when the clutch 53 is operated,the output shaft 52 is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed inFIG. 8 to sequentially extend the slide to the right; retract the slidepast theinitial position to a retracted position, and then return theslide to its initial position.

The casing 23 has an upwardly extending portion 23a at the fillingstation and the nozzle 16 is detachably supported on the upper end ofthe extension 23a as by a plate 61 and fasteners 62. The elevator 17 atthe filling station includes a vertically extending slide bar 63 whichis slidabiy mounted in grooved guideways 64 and 64:: se cured torearwardly extending bosses 65 on the casing 23a. The slide bar has aforwardly extending portion 67 at its lower end and an upwardlyextending portion .68 having a generally horizontally extending cartonengaging member 69 thereon.

The containers to be filled by the machine are the type best shown inFIG. 15 and which include front and rear walls a and b and opposed sidewalls 0 and d. Front and rear top closure flaps e and 7 and top sideflaps g and h are articulated to the carton at the upper end, and lowerfront and rear closure flaps j and k and opposed lower side flaps l andm are provided at the lower end of the carton. In the form shown, theside flaps at the upper and lower ends of the cartons are arranged tointerlock to maintain the flaps in a closed position, it beingunderstood that a different arrangement for holding the flaps closed,such as an adhesive or a heat scalable material, may be provided on theclosure flaps to hold the same in a closed position.

The laterally spaced sections 24 and 25 of the transfer mechanism areadjusted relative to each other so that the opposed upper and lowerguide flanges 28 and 29 engage the opposed sides c and d of the cartonsand support the same during movement by the pusher plates. In order toprovide clearance between the top of the carton and the materialemerging from the nozzle 16 as the cartons are advanced to the fillingstation, the cartons are supported with the upper edges of the bodywalls spaced somewhat below the lower end of the nozzle 16 as shownin'FIGS. 6 and l1l4. When the filled cartons are moved across the nozzleand away from the filling station, they are disposed at a level abovethe incoming cartons and with the upper ends of the cartons closelyadjacent the underside of the nozzle so that the carton wipes across thenozzle and shears the material in the carton from the material emergingfrom the nozzle. Carton support rails 3t? are providedat the outlet sideof the filling station at a level below the nozzle substantially equalto the height'of a container to support the filled containers as theyare advanced from the filling station. -As the cartons are advanced tothe filling station, the lower flaps j-m are infolded and closed toclose the lower end of the carton by the aforementioned flap foldingmechanism 15, and the lead and trail flaps e and f on the upper end ofthe carton are respectively folded forwardly and rearwardly as bestshown in FIG. 2. A flap guide strap 71 has one end 72 mounted on a post73 at a level above the upper ends of the carton flaps on the cartonhopper 12, and the guide strap extends downwardly to a level adjacentthe upper ends of thebocly walls of the carton as best shown in FIGS. 2and 6, to guide the upper lead and trail flaps e and f respectivelyforwardly and rearwardly. The other .end of the strap is supported by agenerally L -shaped bracket 76 on the upwardly extending portion 23a ofthe casing. As best shown in FIGS, 5 and 6, a weighted flap pressermember 77 is provided and, as shown, is pivotally mounted at 78 on thehold down bar 71. The member 77 has a finger portion 79 at its outer endarranged to engagethe lead and trail fiaps on the carton to depress thesame as the carton enters the filling station. A stop 86 is provided onthe member 77 and arranged to engage the bar 71 to limit downwardswinging movement of the flap presser member.

As the empty cartons enter the filling station below the nozzle 16, theelevator 17 is operated to lift the filled container into at leastpartial telescoping relation with the nozzle. As best shown in FIGS.7-10, the elevator lifting mechanism includes a lift arm 82 which ispivotally supported on a pivot pin 83 carried by the housing 21. The armengages a roller 84 on the slide bar 63 to raise the elevator when thearm 82 is raised. A cam arm 86 is also pivotally mounted on the pin 83and has a finger 87 arranged to engage the lift arm 82 when the cam armis moved downwardly. The cam arm has a cam plate 38 adjacent its freeend, and which cam plate is disposed in the path of travel of a roller89 (FIG. 7) which moves with the slide 37 and is conveniently carried bythe pivot pin 34. Thus, when the slide 37 is extended to the right fromits initial position shown in FIG. 8 and then retracted to the left, theroller 89 engages the cam plate 88 and depresses the cam arm to elevatethe lift arm 82 and thereby raise the elevator. As the slide continuesretraction, that is movement toward the left as viewed in FIGS. 8-10,the roller moves past the cam plate and allows the cam arm 46 to moveupwardly and the lifter arm to move downwardly. A lower flap holdingfinger 90 is preferably provided at the filling station and is yieldablyurged upwardly to engage the lower carton flaps and hold them in aclosed position during filling.

The elevated carton is forced downwardly by the material flowing fromthe nozzle into the carton. In accordance with the present invention, abrake mechanism is provided for yieldably opposing downward movement ofthe elevator and the carton carried thereby. As best shown in FIGS.7-10, the brake mechanism includes a brake arm 91 which pivotallymounted intermediate its ends on a pin 92 on a bracket 93 attached tothe casing 23. A brake block fi l is supported, as by lateral cars 95,on one end of the brake arm 91, and the brake block is arranged tofrictionally engage the slide member 63 of the elevator. The arm 91 isyieldably urged by a spring 96 (FIG. 7) in a direc tion to press thebrake block against the slide member and an adjusting screw 97 isthreaded into the casing 23 and engages the spring to enable selectiveadjustment of the braking pressure. A switch till having a detectorfinger 1432 is provided for controlling operation of the clutch actuator53. The switch is of the normally closed type and the detector finger102 is positioned so as to engage the upper side flap g on the carton,when the top of the carton is above the lower edge of the nozzle so thatthe clutch is operated to stop the transfer mechanism while the cartonis elevated and while it is being filled. As soon as the filled cartonmoves down to a level with its top adjacent the lower end of the nozzle,the flap g moves out of engagement with the switch finger M52 and theswitch is allowed to close and reengage the clutch to thereby operatethe transfer mechanism and move the filled carton crosswise of thenozzle.

As previously noted, the filled cartons are moved away from the fillingstation at a slightly higher lever than the incoming empty cartons, andthe carton support rails 30 are provided at the outlet Side of thefilling station and spaced below the nozzle a distance approximatelyequal to the height of a carton to support the filled carton at theproper level. Since the incoming cartons are advanced to the fillingstation at a level somewhat below the level at which the filled cartonsare moved away from the filling station, it is necessary to drop theelevator somewhat in order to allow the succeeding empty carton toadvance to the filling station. For this purpose, a cam 1% is attachedto the brake arm Q1 and positioned to engage a cam actuator 197 attachedto the slide 37. Thus, as the slide is extended from the position shownin FIGS. 7 and 8 to move the filled cartons across the nozzle, the camactuator 1437 engages the cam 1% on the brake arm to move the same in adirection to release the brake and allow the elevator to drop to itslowered position. During the subsequent retraction of the slide backtoward its initial position, and while the roller 89 engages the camface 83 to raise the elevator 17, the actuator retains the brakemechanism in its release position to allow free upward movement of theelevator. The actuator 1167 releases the brake arm when the elevator isin its raised position so as to apply the controlled braking pressure tothe elevator during the subsequent filling of the carton.

As the top of the carton is moved crosswise of the nozzle, it shears thematerial in the carton from the material emerging from the nozzle.However, this shearing of the material produces an additional drag atthe top of the carton and tends to cause the upper end of the carton totilt rearwardly relative to the carton travel during movement of thecarton away from the filling station. Rearward tilting of the carton hasbeen markedly reduced if not eliminated by the provision of a cartonsupport 11 at the filling station which is so arranged as to engage andsupport the underside of the filled carton during movement of the cartoncrosswise of the nozzle. The carton support comprises an elongatedmember aving a generally L-shaped cross section and includes a generallyhorizontal mounting leg 112 and an upwardly extending support leg 113which terminates in a generally horizontal carton support surface 114.The support member is supported for tilting movement in a directioncrosswise of the path of travel of the cartons into and out of itssupport position shown in FIG. 3. As best shown in that figure, thesupport member is mounted at the underside of the casing 23 by spacedfasteners 116. The fasteners have a washer 117 thereon forming alater-ally enlarged portion which underlies the mounting portion 112;,and the fasteners extend loosely through openings H8 in the mountingportion. A flange 119 at the rear side of the mounting portion extendsupwardly into engagement with the underside of the casing 23 and forms afulcrum for the support member. The support member is normally supportedin the position shown in FIG. 3 and rests on the washers 117 with itsupper edge 11d disposed between the front and rear sections 24 and 25 ofthe transfer mechanism. The upper edge of the support member 111 isspaced below the nozzle a distance approximately equal to the height ofa carton, so as to engage the underside of a carton and support the samewhen the top of the carton is disposed adjacent the lower end of thenozzle, to guide the same during movement crosswise of the nozzle. Thesupport leg 113 has a cam portion 113a adjacent the inlet which isarranged to engage the empty carton as it is advanced to the fillingstation, to earn the upwardly extending leg 113 of the support memberlaterally and thereby tilt the support member to the position shown inFIG. 3a in which the support leg 113 is shifted laterally out of thepath of movement of the cartons, to thereby allow the empty carton toadvance to the filling station. When the empty carton is thereafterraised by the elevator, the support member is gravitationally urgeddownwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3 whereby the support leg 113moves inwardly into underlying relation with the carton to support thesame. The support member forms a firm and positive guide for theunderside of the carton and inhibits tilting movement of the cartonduring movement of the same crosswise of the nozzle.

An assist pusher is also preferably provided to aid in moving the top ofthe carton crosswise of the nozzle, particularly when packagingrelatively stiff materials. The assist pusher comprises a pusher member122 which extends crosswise between the front and rear sections 24 and25 of the transfer mechanism, at a level closely adjacent the level ofthe lower end of the nozzle. As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pushermember is mounted on an elongated rod 124 which is slidably supported inspaced brackets 125, 12% and 127 conveniently 'to start movement of thecarton across the nozzle.

51 attached to the flap hold-down bar '71. The pusher member isyieldably urged to a retracted position by a spring 128 attached to oneof the brackets 126 and to an adjustable collar 129 on the rod 124;Provision is r'nade'for moving the rod in timed relation with thetransfer mechanism to aid in moving the top of the carton crosswise ofthe nozzle. As shown, the rod has a depending finger portion 124a, andan actuator 131 is mounted on the pusher plate 31 for movementtherewith, and is posi tioned to engage the lower end of the fingerportion 124a to move the pusher with the transfer mechanism. The partsare so arranged that the pusher member 122 engages the rear side b ofthe carton adjacent the upper edge thereof at substantially the sametime as the fingers Me on the pusher plate engage the rear side of thecarton to aid in pushing the carton crosswise of the nozzle.

The pusher member is arranged for movement only part way across thenozzle, so as to avoid interference with the stream of material emergingfrom the nozzle. For this purpose, the finger portion 124a of the pushermember has a follower roller 132 which is engageable with a stationaryearn 133, and which cam lifts the finger portion 124a out of engagementwith the actuator 131, after the pusher member has moved a shortdistance sufiic i elxlit J. 8 spring 128 then operates to retract thepusher member away from a position below the nozzle, and until theroller 132 engages a stationary stop 134. As shown in FIG. 5, the cam133 and stop 134 are conveniently mounted on the rail of the rearsection of the transfer mechanism. 7

From the foregoing it is thought that the operation and construction ofthe machine will be readily understood. For convenience in describingthe operation, it is assumed that the parts are in their initialposition reached when the one revolution clutch is disengaged and thetransfer mechanism stops. At that time, the pusher plates are positionedas shown in FiGS. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 and an empty carton designated Xllhas been elevated into partial telescoping relation with the nozzle 16.The pusher fingers 31b engage a succeeding carton designated X2 and thepusher fingers 31a engage a second succeeding carton designated X3. Whenthe slide 37 is in its initial position shown in FIG. 8, the camactuator 197 is out of engagement with the earn 1% on the brake arm 91so that the brake is yieldably urged into engagement with the slide 63on the elevator to retard downward movement of the elevator. As thecarton is filled, the material forces the carton and elevator downwardlyagainst the frictional resistance of the brake $94 until the upper edgeof the carton X1 reaches a level adjacent the lower end of the nozzle 16as shown in FIG. 12. At that time, the underside of the carton comes torest on the support surface 114 on the carton support member 111.Simultaneously, the upper flap g on the carton X1 moves out ofengagement with the switch finger Hi2 and allows the switch to close toenergize the clutch operator 58 and drive the clutch output shaft 52through one revolution. The shaft 52 rotates in a clockwise direction asviewed in FIG. 8 and sequentially moves the slide 37 from its initialposition shown in FIG. 8 forwardly a distance somewhat greater than thewidth of a carton until the cam actuator 107 reaches the position shownin phantom in PEG. 8; rearwardly through the initial position to aretracted position spaced from the initial position a distance greaterthan the width of a carton as shown in PEG. 9; and then forwardly to itsinitial position. During the initial forward movement of the slide, thepusher fingers 31c engage the filled carton at the filling station andmove the same crosswise of the nozzle as shown in FIG. 13. Atsubstantially the same time, the actuator 131 on the pusher plateoperates to move the assist pusher 122 therewith to aid in moving thecarton crossvise of the nozzle. As previously described, the cam 133disengages the finger 124a on the rod 124 from the actuator 131, afterthe pusher member has moved part way across the nozzle, to allow thesame to retract out of the way of the material emerging from the nozzle.As the slide 37 is extended, the actuator M7 on the slide engages thecam Elfin on the brake arm 91 to release the brake and allow theelevator to move downwardly to a level below the level of the incomingcartons. Thus, the succeeding carton X2 which is advanced to the fillingstation by the fingers 31 can move to the filling station inoverlyingrelation to the elevator 17. The lower ends of the incoming cartons areat a level below the support surface 114 on the support member llll andthe carton X2 engages the cam portion 113a on the support member andcams the latter to one side as it moves to the filling station.

Duringthe initial retraction of the slide 37, the actuator iii-37remains inengagement withthe can 1% to retain the oralre 94- in itsrelease position. At that time, the rollerfi? engages the cam plate 88on the cam arm 8-6 to elevate the lift arm 82 and the elevator 17 asshown in FIGS. 10 and 14. The' actuator id? then releases the cam 1% andhence releases the brake 94 to hold the elevator in its raised position.When the elevator raises the carton at the filling station, the supportmember Illlfl swings to its normal position shown in FIG. 3 to underliethe carton and support the same when it is filled and while it is beingmoved across the nozzle. The slide 3'7 continues retracting beyond itsinitial position to its full retracted position shown in PEG. 9, atwhich time the fingers 31b pick up a succeeding carton X3 (FIG. 6).During the subsequent forward movement of the slide back to its initialposition, the fingers Eslb advance the succeeding carton X3 to aposition in advance of the filling station and the machine then repeatsthe cycle described.

We claim:

1..In an apparatus for filling containers including a downwardly openingdispensing nozzle for continuously dispensing a stream of plasticmaterial, transfer means for advancing containers along a path crosswiseof the nozzle to feed empty containers to a filling station below thenozzle and for moving filled containers away from the filling station,container-guide means'supporting the empty containers with their upperedges spaced below the lower endof the nozzle as the containers areadvanced by the transfer means to the nozzle to provide clearancebetween the top of the container and the material emergingfrom thenozzle, means at the filling station for elevating a container intoposition around the nozzle,container support means having a' generallyhorizontal container supporting surface spaced below said nozzle adistance approximately equal to the height of a container, meansmounting said container support means for movement laterally of the pathof travel of the containers as they are advanced by said transfer means,said container support means including means engageable with an emptycontainer as it is advanccdto the filling station for moving the supportmeans laterally outof the path of the container, said container supportmeans being yieldably urged into a position underlying the containerwhen the container is elevated at the filling station whereby thesupport means engages and supports the underside of the container whenit thereafter moves downwardly to a position with its top adjacent thelower end of the nozzle to supportthe filled container as it is advancedby the transfer means crosswise of the nozzle.

2. In" an apparatus for filling containers including a frame, adownwardly opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame,-spacedlateral container guide means mounted on the frame and extendingcrosswise of the nozzle for'laterally guiding the containers along apath below the nozzle, transfer means for advancing empty containersalong the lateral container guide means to a filling station below thenozzle and for moving filled containers away from the filling station,said guide and transfer means supporting the empty containers as theyare advanced to the filling station with their upper edges spaced belowthe lower end of the nozzle to provide clearance between the top of thecontainer and the material emerging from the nozzle, elevating means atthe filling station movable between an initial position spaced below thenozzle a distance greater than the height of a container and a raisedposition elevating a container into position around the nozzle,container support means having a generally horizontal containersupporting surface, means mounting said support means on the frame formovement laterally of said guide means into and out of a containersupport position therebetween with said container supporting surfacespaced below the lower end of the nozzle a distance approximately equalto the height of a container, said container support means having meansengageable with an empty container as it is advanced by the transfermeans to the filling station for moving the support means laterally outof its support position between the guide means, said container supportmeans being yieldably urged to its container support position tounderlie the container when the container is elevated whereby thesupport means engages and supports the underside of the container when.it thereafter moves downwardly to a position with its top adjacent thelower end of the nozzle to support the filled container as it isadvanced by the transfer means crosswise of the nozzle.

3. In an apparatus for filling container including a frame, a downwardlyopening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame, spaced lateral containerguide means mounted on the frame and extending crosswise of the nozzlefor laterally guiding the containers along a path below the nozzle,transfer means for advancing empty containers along the lateralcontainer guide means to a filling station below the nozzle and formoving filled containers away from the filling station, said guide andtransfer means supporting the empty containers as they are advanced tothe filling station with their upper edges spaced below the lower end ofthe nozzle to provide clearance between the top of the container and thematerial emerging from the nozzle, elevating means at the fillingstation movable between an initial position spaced below the nozzle adistance greater than the height of a container and a raised positionelevating a container into position around the nozzle, the improvementcomprising an elongated containersupport member having a generallyL-shaped cross section and including a generally horizontal mounting legand a support leg extending upwardly and inwardly from the mounting leg,means attaching said mounting leg to said frame for tilting movement ofthe support member between a container supporting position in which thesupport leg projects inwardly between the lateral guide means with itsupper edge spaced below the lower end of the nozzle a distanceapproximately equal to the height of the container and a retractedposition disposed outwardly of the lateral guide means, said support leghaving a cam portion engageable with the empty containers as they areadvanced to the filling station for tilting the support member to itsretracted position, said support member being gravity urged to itscontainer supporting position whereby the support member moves to itssupporting position when the container is elevated at the fillingstation to engage and support the underside of the container when thelatter moves downwardly to a position with the top of the containeradjacent the lower end of the nozzle.

4. In an apparatus for filling containers including a downwardly openingdispensing nozzle, transfer means for advancing containers along a pathcrosswise of the nozzle, container guide means supporting the emptycontainers with their upper ends spaced below the nozzle as thecontainers are advanced by the transfer means to the nozzle to provideclearance between the top of the carton and the material emerging fromthe nozzle, an elevator at the filling station movable between aninitial position spaced below the nozzle a distance sufficiently greaterthan the height of a container to allow an empty container to move ontothe elevator and a raised position elevating a container into positionaround the nozzle, said elevator including a slide member reciprocabletherewith, brake means engageable with the slide member for retardingdownward movement of the elevator to yieldably oppose downward movementof the container during filling, means operative when the containermoves down to a position with the top of the container adjacent thelower end of the nozzle for operating said transfer means to move thefilled container crosswise of the nozzle and shear the material in thecontainer from the material in the nozzle, and means operated in timedrelation with the movement of said transfer means for releasing saidbrake means to allow the elevator to move back to its initial positionfor receiving a subsequent container.

5. The combination of claim 4 including means for adjusting the pressureapplied by the brake means to the slide member to thereby regulate theresistance to downward movement of the elevator.

6. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure, adownward opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame structure,transfer means mounted on the frame structure for advancing containersalong a path crosswise of the nozzle, container guide means supportingthe empty containers with their upper ends spaced below the nozzle asthe containers are advanced by the transfer means to the nozzle toprovide clearance between the top of the container and the materialemerging from the nozzle, an elevator at the filling station movablebetween an initial position spaced below the nozzle a distancesufficiently greater than the height of a container to allow an emptycontainer to move onto the elevator and a raised position elevating acontainer into position around the nozzle, said elevator including aslide member reciprocable therewith and slidably mounted on said framestructure, brake means engageable with said slide member for retardingdownward movement of the elevator to yieldably oppose downward movementof the container during filling, means yieldably urging said brake meansinto engagement with said slide member, means operative when thecontainer moves down to a position with the top of the containeradjacent the lower end of the nozzle for operating said transfer meansto move the filled container crosswise of the nozzle and shear thematerial in the container from the material in the nozzle, and cam meansreciprocable with said transfer means and engageable with said brakemeans to release the brake means after the filled container has beenmoved off the elevator and before the next succeeding container hasadvanced to the filling station.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said brake means includes a leverpivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame structure andhaving a brake element on one end engageable with the slide member andmeans adjacent its other end for yieldably urging the lever in adirection to press the brake element against the slide member.

8. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure, adownward opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame structure,transfer means mounted on the frame structure for advancing containersalong a path crosswise of the nozzle, container guide means supportingthe empty containers with their upper ends spaced below the nozzle asthe containers are advanced by the transfer means to the nozzle toproivde clearance between the top of the container and the materialemerging from the nozzle, an elevator at the filling station movablebetween an initial position spaced below the nozzle a distancesufiiciently greater than the height of a container to allow an emptyconstainer to move onto the elevator and a raised position elevating acontainer into position around the nozzle, said elevator including aslide member reciprocable therewith and slidably mounted on said framestructure, brake means engageable with said slide member for retardingdownward movement of the elevator to yieldably oppose downward movementof the container during filling, means yieldably urging said brake meansinto engagement with said slide member, means operative when thecontainer moves down to a position with the top of the containeradjacent the lower end of the nozzle for operating said transfer meansto move the filled container crosswise of the nozzle and shear thematerial in the container from the material in the nozzle, and meansoperative during raising of said elevator and also operative after saidelevator has moved down to a position with the top of the containeradjacent the lower end of the nozzle for releasing said brake means.

9. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure, adownward opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame structure,transfer means mounted on the frame structure for advancing containersalong a path crosswise of the nozzle, container guide means supportingthe empty containers with their upper ends spaced below the nozzle asthe containers are advanced by the transfer means to the nozzle toprovide clearance between the top of the container and the materialemerging from the nozzle, an elevator at the filling station movablebetween an initial position spaced below the nozzle a distancesufficiently greater than the height of a container to allow an emptycontainer to move onto the elevator and a raised position elevating acontainer into position around the nozzle, said elevator including aslide member reciprocable therewith and slidably mounted on said framestructure, container support means having a generally horizontalcontainer supporting surface spaced below said nozzle a distanceapproximately equal to the height of the container, means mounting saidcontainer support means on said frame structure for movement laterallyof the container guide means into and out of the path of travel of thecontainers, said container support means including means engageable withan empty container as it is advanced to the filling station for movingthe support means laterally out of the path of the container, saidcontainer support means being yieldably urged into a position underlyingthe container when the container is elevated at the filling stationwhereby the support means engages and supports the underside of thecontainer when it is thereafter lowered, brake means engageable withsaid slide for retarding downward move-- ment of the elevator duringfilling of the container, means operative when the container is loweredto a position adjacent said container support means for operating saidtransfer means to move a filled container crosswise of the nozzle, andmeans operative when said transfer means moves the filled containercrosswise of the nozzle for releasing said braite means.

10. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure,a downward opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame structure,transfer means mounted on the frame structure for advancing containersalong a path crosswise of the nozzle, container guide means supportingthe empty containers with their upper ends spaced below the nozzle asthe containers are advanced by the transfer means to the nozzle toprovide clearance between. the top of the container and the materialemerging from the nozzle, an elevator at the filling station movablebetween an initial position spaced below the nozzle a distancesufficiently greater than the height of a container to allow an emptycontainer to move onto the elevator and a raised position elevating acontainer into position around the nozzle, said elevator including aslide member reciprocable therewith and slidably mounted on said framestructure, container support means having a generally horizontalcontainer supporting surface spaced below said nozzle :1 distanceapproximately equal to the height ofthe container, means mounting saidcontainer support means on said frame structure for movement laterallyof the container guide means into and out of the path of travel of thecontainers, said container support means including means engageable withan empty container as it is advanced to the filling station for movingthe support means laterally out of the path of the container, saidcontainer support means being yieldably urged into a position underlyingthe container when the container is elevated at the filling stationwhereby the support means engages and supports the underside of thecontainer when it is thereafter lowered, brake means engageable withsaid slide for retarding downward movement of the elevator duringfilling of the container, means operative when the container is loweredto a position adjacent said container support means for operating saidtransfer means to move a filled container crosswise of the nozzle, andmeans operative during raising of said elevator and also operative aftersaid elevator has moved down to the level of said container supportmeans for releasing said brake means to allow the elevator to return toits initial position.

11. In an apparatus for filling containers including a downwardlyopening dispensing nozzle for continuously dispensing a plasticmaterial, transfer means operable to advance empty containers in stepfashion along a path crosswise of the nozzle to a filling station belowsaid nozzle and for advancing filled containers away from the fillingstation, means at the filling station for elevating a container intoposition around the nozzle, means operative when the container is filledfor operating the transfer means to move the filled container crosswiseof the nozzle, the improvement comprising a pusher positioned to engagethe trailing side of the container at a level adjacent the lower end ofthe nozzle, and means operative when said transfer means is operated formoving the pusher only part way across the nozzle to aid in shearing thematerial in the container from the material in the nozzle and forretracting said pusher before said transfer means moves the containercompletely across the nozzle.

12. In an apparatus for filling containers including a downwardlyopening dispensing nozzle for continuously dispensing a plasticmaterial, laterally spaced transfer means extending crosswise of thenozzle and having longitudinally spaced contai er engaging fingersthereon, means for reciprocating said transfer means to advance emptycontainers in step fashion to a filling station below the nozzle and tomove filled containers away from the nozzle, means operative when thecontainer is filled for moving the transfer means to advance a filledcontainer crosswise of the nozzle, a pusher extending crosswise betweenthe transfer means adjacent the lower end of the nozzle to engage thetrailing side of a container, and means for moving said pusher only partway across the nozzle'when the transfer means is operated to aid inshearing the material in the container from the material in the nozzleand for retracting said pusher before said ransfer means moves thecontainer completely across the nozzle.

13. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure,a downwardly opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame struoturefor continuously dispensing a plastic material, conveyor means on theframe structure for supporting and advancing empty containers to afilling station below the nozzle with the upper ends of the containerspaced below the nozzle to provide clearance between the container topand the material emerging from the nozzle, an elevator on the framestructure at the filling station movable between an initial positionspaced below the nozzle a-distance sufiiciently greater than the heightof a container to allow an empty container to move onto the elevator anda raised position elevatinga container into position around the nozzle,said conveyor means including means forvmoving a filled container awayfrom the filling station, means operative when the container is filledand moves down to a position with the top of the container adjacent thelower end of said nozzle for operating said conveyor means to move afilled carton away from the nozzle, a pusher positioned above the levelof the tops of the containers as they are advanced to the fillingstation and below the lower end of the nozzle to engage the trailingside of a filled container at a level adjacent said nozzle, and meansoperatively connected to said conveyor means for moving said pusher withsaid conveyor means in a direction crosswise of the nozzle to aid inshearing the material in the container from the material in the nozzle.

14. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame structure,a downwardly opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame structurefor continuously dispensing a plastic material, conveyor means on theframe structure for supporting and advancing empty containers to afilling station below the nozzle with the upper ends of the containerspaced below the nozzle to provide clearance between the container topand the material emerging from the nozzle, an elevator on the framestructure at the filling station movable between an initial positionspaced below the nozzle a distance sufiiciently greater than the heightof a container to allow an empty container to move onto the elevator anda raised position elevating a container into position around the nozzle,said conveyor means including means for moving a filled container awayfrom the filling station, means operative when the container is filledand moves down to a position with the top of the container adjacent thelower end of said nozzle for operating said conveyor means to move afilled carton away from the nozzle, a pusher positioned above the levelof the tops of the containers as they are advanced to the fillingstation and below the lower end of the nozzle to engage the trailingside of a filled container at a level adjacent said nozzle, a pushersupport member supporting the pusher on the frame structure forreciprocation in a direction crosswise of the nozzle, a means yieldablyurging the pusher to a retracted position, a finger on said conveyormeans engageable with said pusher support member to extend the sameduring movement of the conveyor means, and means for disengaging saidpusher support member from said finger after the pusher has moved partway across the nozzle.

15. In an apparatus for filling containers including a frame, adownwardly opening dispensing nozzle mounted on the frame, spacedlateral container guide means mounted on the frame and extendingcrosswise of the nozzle for laterally guiding the containers along apath below the nozzle, transfer means for advancing empty containersalong the lateral container guide means to a filling station below thenozzle and for moving filled containers away from the filling station,said guide and transfer means supporting the empty containers as theyare advanced to the filling station with their upper edges spaced belowthe lower end of the nozzle to provide clearance between the top of thecontainer and the material emerging from the nozzle, elevating means atthe filling station movable between an initial position spaced below thenozzle a distance greater than the height of a container and a raisedposition elevating a container into position around the nozzle,container support means having a generally horizontal containersupporting surface, means mounting said support means on the frame formovement laterally of said guide means into and out of a containersupport position therebetween with said container supporting surfacespaced below the lower end of the nozzle a distance approximately equalto the height of a container, said container support means having meansengageable with an empty container as it is advanced by the transfermeans to the filling station for moving the support means laterally outof its support position between the guide means, said container supportmeans being yieldably urged to its container support position tounderlie the container when the container is elevated whereby thesupport means engages and supports the underside of the container whenit thereafter moves downwardly to a position with its top adjacent thelower end of the nozzle to support the filled container as it isadvanced by the transfer means crosswise of the nozzle, a pusherpositioned at a level above the tops of the containers as they areadvanced to the filling station and below the lower end of the nozzle toengage the trailing side of a filled carton at a level adjacent saidnozzle, and means for moving said pusher part way across the nozzle whenthe transfer means is operated to move a filled container away from thenozzle.

16. The combination of claim 15 including means for retarding downwardmovement of said elevator, and means operative when the filled containeris moved away from the filling station for releasing said retardingmeans to allow the elevator to move down to its initial position.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS INCLUDING A DOWNWARDLY OPENINGDISPENSING NOZZLE FOR CONTINUOUSLY DISPENSING A STREAM OF PLASTICMATERIAL, TRANSFER MEANS FOR ADVANCING CONTAINERS ALONG A PATH CROSSWISEOF THE NOZZLE TO FEED EMPTY CONTAINERS TO A FILLING STATION BELOW THENOZZLE AND FOR MOVING FILLED CONTAINERS AWAY FROM THE FILLING STATION,CONTAINER GUIDE MEANS SUPPORTING THE EMPTY CONTAINERS WITH THEIR UPPEREDGES SPACED BELOW THE LOWER END OF THE NOZZLE AS THE CONTAINERS AREADVANCED BY THE TRANSFER MEANS TO THE NOZZLE TO PROVIDE CLEARANCEBETWEEN THE TOP OF THE CONTAINERS AND THE MATERIAL EMERGING FROM THENOZZLE, MEANS AT THE FILLING STATION OF ELEVATING A CONTAINER INTOPOSITION AROUND THE NOZZLE, CONTAINER SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A GENERALLYHORIZONTAL CONTAINER SUPPORTING SURFACE SPACED BELOW SAID NOZZLE ADISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF A CONTAINER, MEANSMOUNTING SAID CONTAINER SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOVEMENT